Grant Associates to lead Brabazon Park public space development
Award-winning landscape architect practice Grant Associates has been instructed by YTL Developments to lead on the public space design for Brabazon Park, a major new 6-hectare public park at Brabazon in North Bristol. When completed, Brabazon Park will be the largest new urban public park to be created in the South West in the last 50 years.
Located on the 380-acre site of the former Filton Airfield – the birthplace of Concorde and supersonic travel – Brabazon will be a thriving new mixed-use neighbourhood for Bristol. At its heart will be the YTL Arena Complex – a new 17,000 capacity arena that will put the city on the world stage for live music and entertainment.
Brabazon Park will be a key interface between the new neighbourhood and the YTL Arena and the largest dedicated public park at Brabazon.
Bath-based Grant Associates has been closely involved in the vision for Brabazon - one of the largest brownfield sites in the UK - since 2015, working with YTL Developments to create the overall landscape strategy and masterplan for the new neighbourhood.
YTL Developments has now appointed Grant Associates to deliver a signature area of public open space so that it becomes a major attraction for visitors and the centrepiece of this new urban community.
The brief for the new 6-hectare Brabazon Park is to create a contemporary new open space that will become the social heart of Brabazon, connecting the new community with the YTL Arena complex. The brief also focuses on celebrating the heritage of the former Filton Airfield, as well as creating spaces for art, nature, the community, and cultural events.
Water will be an important focus for the new park and will bring the spaces to life for both people and wildlife. The use of water is linked to a wider sustainability strategy for Brabazon with an integrated approach to sustainable urban drainage as well as offering amenity and biodiversity value.
"Parks have always served an important public health function and valuable biodiversity connector in cities – giving us space to exercise and play, spaces for wildlife and a place to reconnect with nature and nurture our physical and mental health. These functions are all the more critical now. We are really excited about the possibilities for Brabazon Park – it is not only a significant new and inclusive green space for the Brabazon community but also, through the use of water, will help breathe new life into this new city neighbourhood, the people who enjoy it and wildlife, and will create a vibrant landscape destination associated with the YTL Arena."
"Grant Associates have been a key partner to date in developing the vision for Brabazon as a thriving new neighbourhood for Bristol - and with the new YTL Arena Complex now fully approved, our delivery plans are stepping up a gear. Brabazon Park will be the largest new urban public park to be created in the South West in the last 50 years and a key interface between the Arena and the new neighbourhood. We are therefore delighted to be able to appoint Grant Associates to continue their work on this landmark project for North Bristol.”
For more information about Brabazon, visit: www.brabazon.co.uk
Image credit: YTL Developments Ltd. For illustrative purposes only.